Internet, then interview: don't walk into an interview cold. Take advantage of the Internet to research the company and where you would fit.TO BE SUCCESSFUL in a job search it pays to be prepared. Preparation for an interview includes practicing speaking in front of a mirror and with friends, voice raping, and such measures. But to fully prepare for the interview, you must research the company with which you will interview. In the past, such research was conducted in a library or through newspapers and magazines. Job seekers job seeker also job·seek·er n. One who seeks employment. today have the benefit of the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the , which provides an ideal source for employment-related information. The Internet provides a wealth of information, but it takes practice to get the specific information you want. Search engines such as Yahoo.com and Google (Google, Mountain View, CA, www.google.com) The largest search engine on the Web, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford University students. In 1996, they developed their "BackRub" search engine, named after its unique page ranking method (explained below). .com can bring back thousands of pages of information, but much of it will not meet your needs. In your pre-interview research, uncover as much information as possible about both the company at which you will be interviewing and the average pay of your potential position, based on your particular labor market labor market A place where labor is exchanged for wages; an LM is defined by geography, education and technical expertise, occupation, licensure or certification requirements, and job experience . The more information you know about the employer (the age of the company, products, market share, management, financial strength, etc.), the better you will be able to perform in the interview. This type of research will also make it possible for you to ascertain if the company's values fit yours and your long term career plan. The Internet can provide an almost unlimited amount of information about a company. With a few clicks a job seeker can find descriptions of a company's product, service lines, executives, facility locations, stock price and recent news releases; a particular industry; derailed assessments of its financial stability; and subjective assessments of its culture and practices. Here is a short list of Internet sources that will assist you in your research: * Hoovers Online (Hoovers.com) provides company summaries. You can access some free information, but you'll have to pay for in-depth research. * Wetfeet.com offers descriptions of individual companies, and a selection of interview questions. Additionally, many job boards, such as VetJobs.com, have employment assistance sections the give you excellent interview questions and preparation. * Simple searches on Google and Yahoo will yield a company's press releases as well as references to the firm in the media and in business analysts' reports. Just search on the company's name and the names of its executives. * The EDGAR Edgar or Eadgar (both: ĕd`gər), 943?–975, king of the English (959–75), son of Edmund, king of Wessex. In 957 the Mercians and Northumbrians rebelled against Edgar's brother Edwy and chose Edgar as their king. database on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Web site (sec.gov) contains financial information about publicly traded companies publicly traded company A company whose shares of common stock are held by the public and are available for purchase by investors. The shares of publicly traded firms are bought and sold on the organized exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. . * Visit the Web site of the company in question to learn the company's perspective on business, its prospects and employment opportunities. * Take a look at what current and former employees are saying about the firm at Vault vault, ceiling over a room, formed in any one of a variety of curved shapes. Nature of Vaults A vault is generally composed of separate units of material, such as bricks, tiles, or blocks of stone, so shaped or cut that when assembled they form a .com. Opinion and commentary about working for an organization can be insightful, but recognize that some postings are heavily influenced by personal agendas and grudges. * For the latest compensation and benefits trends in your profession, visit the Web site of your professional association or trade organization. An excellent free source for these would be the worldwide association directory at Weddles (Weddles.com). * For current salary information in your field and region of the country, visit the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) A research agency of the U.S. Department of Labor; it compiles statistics on hours of work, average hourly earnings, employment and unemployment, consumer prices and many other variables. (bls.gov). Other sources include Salary Wizard Instructional help in an application or system development environment that guides the user through a series of multiple choice questions to accomplish a task. For the most part, wizards are more effective than the help menus found in most applications, which often border on the atrocious. (salary.com) and the Salary Info links at Job Star Central (jobsmart.org). * To compare the cost of living in your city to the cost of living elsewhere, check out the moving calculator calculator or calculating machine, device for performing numerical computations; it may be mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic. The electronic computer is also a calculator but performs other functions as well. at Homestore.com. Researching on the Internet can be time-consuming and remains more art than science. But as you practice and get better at taking advantage of the Internet's many resources, your research will be productive. And the better your research, the better prepared you will be for the interview. TED DAYWALT is CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and president of VetJobs, the Internet's largest comprehensive military job board. Daywalt may be reached at tdaywelt@vetjobs.com. |
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